2nd Green Revolution

Monday marked the beginning of National Public Radio’s week long series on high speed rail in America. The buzz surrounding high speed rail has been growing ever since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law earlier this year by President Obama. NPR reports that some forty states, as well as Washington DC, have submitted proposals for the funding. The $100 billion (US) in proposals are competing for $8 billion (US) available through the stimulus bill.

According to the report, many of the projects would not exceed 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour). However, the California proposal, which includes 800 miles of track, would reach speeds of 220 miles per hour. The only system currently in place that surpasses 150 miles per hour is the Acela line between Washington DC, New York City, and Boston. The average speed though for the Acela is only 80 miles per hour, as it can only travel at the faster speeds for a short stretch of track. NPR states figures that put the price of California’s project in the billions of dollars. “The estimated price tag for the California high-speed-rail project is $40 billion, and expanding this sort of high-speed rail network to the rest of the country would cost in the hundreds of billions of dollars.”

Concerns about ridership levels abound. Sam Staley of the libertarian Reason Foundation is quoted in the article as saying “I do not think it’s a wise investment in the U.S.”. He goes on to say “the environmental, economic and other benefits of high-speed rail touted by supporters are overblown. He says too few people will ride the trains to make the staggering cost worthwhile.”

In a recent Denver Post article, Chuck Plunkett, member of the editorial board, refers to what he calls the “Prius Effect”, which presupposes that cars are becoming more efficient and ridership levels in the Denver area (for light rail) are not high enough as people drive their more efficient vehicles. Plunkett and Staley both have valid arguments about rail travel. Unless the ridership numbers increase, there will be an increased opposition to train expansion. Riders unite. Take advantage of the traffic and hassle free transit offered by train.

- Eric Wilson

[image source: NPR.org]